Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) is the official term used by the Government of India to refer to the portion of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir that has been under the administrative control of Pakistan since 1947. India considers this territory an integral part of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, which is currently under illegal occupation. The concept is a foundational assertion of India's territorial sovereignty over the entire region.
The occupation originated in October 1947 when Pashtun tribal fighters, supported by the Pakistani Army, invaded the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. Facing the invasion, the Hindu ruler, Maharaja Hari Singh, signed the Instrument of Accession to India on October 26, 1947, ceding control of defence, external affairs, and communication to the Indian government. The subsequent First Indo-Pakistan War of 1947-1948 ended with a UN-brokered ceasefire that took effect on January 1, 1949.
The mechanism of separation is the Line of Control (LoC), a military control line that is not a legally recognized international boundary but serves as the de facto border. The LoC was established under the Simla Agreement, signed on July 2, 1972, which renamed the original Cease-Fire Line (CFL). Under Pakistani administration, the territory is divided into two main regions: Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan. AJK is governed under the Azad Kashmir Provisional Constitution Act, 1974, which grants it a semi-autonomous status, though ultimate authority rests with Islamabad.
The Indian Parliament unanimously adopted a resolution on February 22, 1994, which remains a key assertion of India's position. The resolution declared that Jammu & Kashmir "has been, is and shall be an integral part of India" and demanded that Pakistan "must vacate areas of the Indian State of Jammu & Kashmir under its occupation". While the status of PoK itself has not changed, India's internal constitutional relationship with the Indian-administered part of the state was altered in August 2019 with the abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35A, a move seen as an extension of the resolve expressed in the 1994 Resolution.